How I Ended Up Getting The Hermit Crab Named Herman

Today in the untangling of a Primary in New Hampshire I was teaching 1st grade in my new assigned theme "Home Sweet Home."
While not singing Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

We did sing a new tune from our CD by Justin Roberts called Meltdown choosing "My Brother Did It." Half my first graders could not understand that the brother was being pinned for eating the cake in the song, they just thought he did it. In my room this year what the other person is doing wrong is "big news" but we have a resolution...well several here they are:

1. Be friendlier, try not to boss others, try to give a little quiet helping hand. Give other people a chance to show they can do things too. Try to " give the benefit of the doubt."

Okay it's a long resolution and I kind of led it but it is time to teach the caring and understanding skills in now "explicit ways."

2. Teachers need you, sometimes to try first, and not forget that doing things by yourself it might give the teacher a second to get something else and cool ready for us.

3. Let's all learn by heart all our math add and subtract facts "really fast."

4. Let's learn the 200 sight words by the end of February.

5. Let's practice reading good books and get out library books that are exciting and interesting every week.

6. Shake hands to settle arguments, give a hug, pat a back, walk off an angry feeling, stop and say hi, give someone a minute, talk about things you like, tell someone if you need help, listen for the sounds of trouble, watch and look to see if anything needs yor attention, take turns, share.

7. PE everyday!

8. Singing and art everyday!

Well that's how it went. We got to thinking and these seemed pretty good. 1st graders pledge with real enthusiasm.

So then, as they say, so then it was time for reading. Theme 5 is Home Sweet Home, oh I said that, and there we were with our big new book. They thanked me, they thought I bought them the book, and I took credit (why not at least for a day), and the first story is the story of a hermit crab. The second is a photographic essay on a hermit crab. And so we talked about Hermit crabs. So the day rolled on and we got to our new Science lesson.

I'm piloting the two series up for Adoption, which is exciting in the extreme. The MacMillian Science I like and it starts with things that "identify Scientists" which my children really listened to and thought about.
Scientists OBSERVE (we knew that one), they order things, they collect data, they measure....a whole list. One said, Scientists QUESTION and try to figure out answers through a process. A hand shot up. "Sharkboy," his web name. He's a very, very bright boy.
"Yes," I said.
"Mrs. Puglisi do scientists ask questions?"
"Yes", I replied but it was a set up.

So then he said....." Why are we reading about Hermit Crabs and reading stories about them, when we don't have one to observe and look at so we really know about them?"

And now I would like to introduce (our new hoisted petard..mine), This is Herman our new Hermit Crab...


In a few days I'll get a friend after just reading they need a friend....









This joins our birds, fish, aquarium frogs, all the cool things like our new bug collection, the butterfly environment, the shell collection our slice of a tree, the pine cones, rock collections, the dead duck(long story), the feathers, the shark jaws, the snake skin, the turtle, the dragonfly that is dead, the pipefish I found dried on the beach, the pufferfish, the.....well...lots of cool things.
The baby fish of course are coming over after I rescue the tank that's struggling after a power outage.